NEW YORK — The Brooklyn Nets (10-20) had been playing like one of the best teams in December thanks to how much they’ve improved on the defensive end of the floor. Brooklyn had one of their toughest tests of the month with Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors (17-16) coming to town and the Nets did not close the game well in the fourth quarter.
The Nets lose to the Warriors 120-107 on Monday despite the fact that forward Michael Porter Jr. and rookie guard Egor Demin had two exceptional performances. Porter went off for 27 points, nine rebounds, five assists, and three steals while Demin dropped 23 points, three rebounds, three assists to keep the team in the game until the dreaded fourth quarter.
The Warriors had their usuals leading the way as Curry had 27 points and five assists while forward Jimmy Butler had 21 points, five rebounds, and four assists. The Nets finish December with a 7-4 record and while that is still impressive, this loss to the Warriors should make them go into the New Year with a renewed focus. Here are the Nets player grades following Monday’s loss to the Warriors:
Egor Demin: A-
Demin did a great job of shooting the three-point shot in this one, especially as the Warriors were trying to crowd his airspace whenever the ball came his way. Demin did a good job of protecting the ball and running the offense while keeping his poise during his defensive assignment against Steph Curry, who had an efficient game in his own right.
Terance Mann: C+
Similar to most of his games this season, Mann didn’t have much of a role on the offensive end outside of handling the ball and setting up his teammates as he didn’t see many chances to look for his own offense. To that point, Mann did a good job of taking care of the basketball and distributing it while also playing some solid defense on the perimeter.
Michael Porter Jr.: A
Porter did a great job of scoring the ball in this one from everywhere on the floor and at this point, it seems that a great defensive team like the Warriors can only limit his offensive impact by so much. Porter did a good job of rebounding the ball and he drew so much attention form the Warriors that he was able to get some of his teammates open just by his gravity.
Noah Clowney: B
Clowney had a solid performance on the offensive end of the floor despite not getting most of his shots to fall due to how tightly the Warriors were guarding him on the perimeter. Where Clowney had his struggles in this one was on the defensive end as he was essentially in foul trouble for the majority of the game while trying to guard the quick actions of Golden State’s offense.
Nic Claxton: A
Claxton had a solid outing against the Warriors due to what looked to be a favorable matchup against Draymond Green for the majority of the game. Claxton did a good job of scoring the ball around the rim, rebounding, and Golden State couldn’t get much at the basket when Claxton was in the game as he basically rejecting everything in his vicinity.
Danny Wolf: F
Wolf didn’t have much of an impact against the Warriors as he couldn’t get himself going on the offensive end of the floor despite getting some good looks at the basket. Wolf also had a tough time getting anything done on the defensive end of the floor as his primary defensive assignment was guarding Jimmy Butler and that didn’t work out for Brooklyn at all.
Day’Ron Sharpe: C-
Sharpe did a good job of rebounding the basketball, but he wasn’t particularly involved in the flow of the offense and it seemed like the Warriors bench was doing a good job of keeping the tempo at a fast pace.
Cam Thomas: C+
Thomas continued in his role as a scorer coming off the bench and while he didn’t explode like he did at the Timberwolves, he still had an efficient outing for the time he was on the floor. Thomas was confident with the ball in his hands and given that Brooklyn doesn’t have much scoring punch coming off the bench, Thomas fills that role perfectly.
Drake Powell: D
Powell had a significant amount of playing time against the Warriors, but he wasn’t able to get much done with it on the offensive end with how active Golden State was. Powell moved his feet well on the defensive end of the floor, but outside of a sloppy first quarter, the Warriors pretty much ran their offense the way they wanted to for the majority of the game.
Nolan Traore: C+
Traore had some nice moments in this one, especially shooting the ball from three-point land as he looked confident and ready to shoot when the ball came his way. Traore still has work to do when it comes to running the offense, especially under pressure, but if Traore can get his shot to fall more often, he’ll be fine within the confines of this offense.
This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Nets player grades: Michael Porter Jr. drops 27 in loss to Warriors
